Convicted
by concealdontfeel
Summary: Prince Hans has returned to Arendelle, this time to apologize. However, he is taken into custody and it is up to Queen Elsa to decide his fate. Will she choose life, death, or even something else for Hans?
1. Chapter 1

**Author: So this is my first fanfic ever on ! I'm a little new to this however****Please leave reviews. **

_I had hated him._

_He had roamed my thoughts, images of him betraying me playing on repeat in my mind. No, not me. Us. My sister and I. Arendelle. Everyone._

_There was no plausible explanation, except for one thing. Power. The only thing he wanted. _

_Or so I thought._

_This story involves many things._

_They all start here._

**Arendelle**

The queen slept late on the day the prince arrived. Strangely, it was her slugabed sister who woke her up.

"Anna…" Elsa slurred her words with sleepiness. "Too early…"

"Elsa." Anna's was the absolute epitome of serious.

"What is it?" When Elsa's sister was serious, she knew something was up.

"Um…well…It's Hans. He's here. Well, not _here_ here, but, well, here." Elsa furrowed her brows. When her sister babbled, Elsa had no idea what she was trying to say. Catching wind of Elsa's look, Anna continued. "Kai's waiting for you by the dungeons. He said you know the choices..?"

No. _**No.**_ This could not be happening. Hans could not be back in her kingdom. "Anna, I swear I will do everything in my power to ensure he'll be out of here by sunset. I will not have him in my kingdom!" Anna had never seen her sister so enraged. To try to ease the tension, she piped in, "Er… Kai's waiting for you at the dungeons!"

Elsa stood up and hugged her sister. "Sorry I scared you, Anna. " She smiled. "Now shoo! I need to get dresses, you know!" She laughed, shooing her sister out of the room with no cares in the world. Get rid of the prince, and then life would be perfect again-right?

_Drip. Drop._Prince Hans counted the drops as they fell through a crack in the ceiling. _Drip. Drop. Nineteen. Twenty._ The cell he was in was dark and dank. And now freezing over, as well. The man almost smiled. It would have seemed Queen Elsa had gotten the news of his arrival. _Twenty-five, twenty-six._ He had meant no harm coming here, really. In fact, Hans had come to apologize. But yet, as soon as he had exited the dock, guards had him in chains before he could say 'wait!' _Thirty-one, thirty-two._Now he was in shackles, chained to the floor. The pain... let it suffice to say that he saw purple and black bruises running his wrists. T_hirty-seven, thirty-eight._Now footsteps approached the cell. The prince's eyes lit up. _Was it the queen?_Then he shamed himself. _She'll kill me on sight._Why shouldn't she? Him, being a traitor and attempted murderer, why, he should be killed on sight! _Forty-three, forty-four._It wasn't even Elsa. A guard approached the door, speaking through the small space for bars. "Now, princey," The guard, Maliciber, started, "You have three options. Or, rather the queen does." A gruff chuckle echoed out of the guards mouth.  
>"One, you are free to go back to the-Southern Isles, eh? Without any penalty at all. Easy deal, right!?" Maliciber laughed again. "Two, you do a task for the queen, and then-voila! Free."<p>

"And third?" Hans' voice was hoarse for hours of not speaking. He both suspected and feared the answer.

"Death. And yet, then, you are also free." The guard meandered away.

_One, two._

**And there you have it! Reviews are appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, you guys! Reviews and follows already? I'm ****_so_**** appreciative! **

**I forgot to introduce myself earlier; I'm Emily, though my friends call me Elsa or Emilsa.**

**I own a roleplay instagram under my pen name [ concealdontfeel]**

**Thank you once again for the reviews & follows!**

Elsa's smile faded to a frown after her sister left. _The prince is back._Frost spread on the floor wherever she stepped. She slipped in to a dress baring the Arendelle crocus, trying to seem strong. Quickly, the queen brushed her hair and braided it, leaving her braid stylishly on the side. _Be strong, Elsa._ She gave herself one last look in the mirror, and walked out.

It was time to face the prince.

Hans had just started drifting off to sleep when the clicking of heels awakened him.

"Who's there?" He wanted to shout, but refrained in his knowing that he would disturb others.

"I would like to talk to the prince." A female voice floated through the bars of his cage. _The queen. _His half awake mind registered.

"Aye, but he isn't a prince anymore, now is he, lass?" Hans imagined the confused look on Elsa's face, the same when he and Anna had asked for her blessing. "He's been stripped of all his titles, aye." He replied in response to the queen's look.

Hans heard footsteps coming near and pretended sleep again.

Elsa felt a tug in her gut as she walked to the cell. Perhaps it was because of the options Kai had told her she had. _A task. _What did she have that was needed to be done? It was true that the Prince had used to be an admiral, maybe he still was. _Go free. _He needed to be questioned first, but didn't he deserve more? He had been virtually unpunished, except for the stripping of his titles. _Death._ No. She couldn't do that. Ever.

Walking behind the guard, she couldn't help but wonder:_ Which one was mine?_ Elsa glanced around and nearly bumped into the guard as he stopped to unlock a cell. "Thank you, Mister…"

"Vladimir." He answered, swinging the door open.

"Thank you, Mister Vladimir."

Elsa entered the small, dark cell and instantly knew. _This one had been hers._

"Vladimir, if you may, I wish to speak to the prisoner alone." She inclined her head.

"Of course." He bowed.

The blonde looked at the admiral, he sitting up on the cold concrete bench.

"Well, it seems the tables have changed." Elsa laughed.

"I have three options, those of which you probably know. However, I have come here for one reason and one only: Why are you back in Arendelle?"

He paused, deciding between the truth and the lie. Hans chose the truth.

"Your majesty, I was simply here to apologize. To let the truth come out."

"Don't lie to me!"

"I am not. I swear on my life, which may soon be gone."

And as Elsa looked down to contemplate his words, she noticed something. His wrists, molted white and purple. "You-you're hurt!" She exclaimed, slapping her hands over her mouth. "The shackles... they're hurting you, aren't they." With complete surprise on his face, he nodded. She scrunched up her eyes, not believing what she was about to do. "You will never, _ever_ tell anybody what I am about to do. _Ever._ It would be considered treason." Dumbfounded, Hans did nothing. The queen leaned in, pulled out a ring of keys and slowly unlocked the shackles.


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh my gosh, 341+ views already?! This is crazy!**

**Thank you to krystal lazuli for beta-ing this chapter. Went back and changed a few things, including the wording in some parts.**

**Enjoy!**

"No." Hans said as soon as he saw what Elsa was doing. "**_No._** You can't do this. I'm a monster, a criminal. I should be locked up!"

"Indeed you should be, Pr- Hans." She amended her words, remembering that he had been stripped of his titles. "However, I will not have people being… being _tortured _in my kingdom, especially when they have not being convicted of any wrongdoing-at least, not on this visit." Elsa finished, lip curling up at the end. She almost laughed, but how could she, when he was trying to get as far away from her as possible, afraid his other side might come out.

As he scurried backward, she noticed something as well. A gash in his pants, torn just below his kneecap. "What have they done to you, Hans?" If Hans didn't know better, he would have suspected there was a note of worry in her voice.

"Only what I deserve. What a_ traitor_ deserves."He spat, the words full of self-loathing.

Elsa crinkled her brow. "My guards? They did this to you?" _Why are you so worried about him?_

_"_No, your highness, though I do suspect that it was a bit of a joke to have me put here." He knows too. This had once been her cell; the shackles he had been wearing had been used on her.

_It must have hurt,_ she thought dumbly, _for his hands are much larger than mine, and even I was aching._

"It was my brothers." He confessed, and then added at Elsa's questioning look, "After I returned from Arendelle, they were angry. I ruined their reputation. They attacked me with swords, knifes, hands-using whatever they had. I had been recovering for several months, but this wound did not heal.

After most had healed,I made my way here. To apologize. I realized now that I will never been able to repay my debt. And I will be even more so if you let me go free."

Elsa stared at him. "Why should I let you go free, after all that you've done?" Before he could answer, she added, "And yet I can't-won't kill you. I can't do that. Ever."

And awkward silence passed, and ended with the queen speaking. "So, you say you were in Arendelle to apologize." Hans nodded, even though he was sure this was a statement. "What was this apology?"

With a slight hint of his old personality, the one that had showed itself a year prior, he said bluntly. "I'll tell you myself, before I leave this place; if it be this world or this kingdom."

Elsa thought she saw a gleam in his eyes and knew she saw the hint of a smirk as she exited the cold dungeons, locking up his shackles but leaving the keys to the shackles in his reach, yet concealed, and strict warning that if he tried anything, he would be executed.

And so she left.

And contemplated.

_"Anna, I know what I told you before, about how I don't want him in my kingdom, but do you think he should just go free?" Elsa consulted her sister before discussing the matter with her council. "He's done so much to us, and yet he claims he came here to apologize, can you believe that?"

The strawberry blonde bit her lip thoughtfully. "Actually, I can." She put her green-blue eyes on her sister's blue ones. "Everyone deserves a second chance; maybe he's just cashing his in now!" Anna smiled optimistically. "Maybe all he needs is time. Give him a few more days in his dungeon, and then let him talk to you and your board."

Elsa smiled. When had her sister gotten so _wise_?


	4. Chapter 4

**Quick question: Would you prefer longer chapters not as often or shorter chapters almost every day?**

**Thank you!**

"I don't understand." Hans said stonily as he was being led up the stairs. It had been an uncomfortable couple of days, even with the spared moments of relief that came with the release of the shackles. "Why am I being taken upstairs?"

One of the guards grunted. "The queen wishes for you upstairs, in front of her council." Hans refrained from asking more questions; that would likely earn him a slap in the face. As he trudged upstairs, the only question still on his mind was _why, _though that could be attributed to many things. Why was he being taken upstairs, why did he come to Arendelle, _**why did he get into this mess in the first place!**_

Hans shook his head, trying to get these thoughts out of his head. If he was truly going to be able to apologize, he needed to clear his mind. What had he prepared? _Queen Elsa,_ he mentally said, _I have come here today t-_

His stream of thoughts was interrupted but as a hard shove pushed him into a room. "You will be permitted a shave, bath, and new clothes." The second guard holding him, the less kind of the pair, gave him the instructions. "You have fifteen minutes, starting… now." The pair left the small room.

The room was clearly part of the servants' quarters, with a small bed, dresser, desk, and shelves. Still, Hans had never seen better servants' quarters, not even in the capital of the Southern Isles, Foræder. _Especially_ not in Foræder. Most of the royal family treated the servants like rats. _Avoid at all costs._ Except Hans. He was lonely as a child, being the youngest of thirteen. The servants played with him as a young boy, he even had favorites he would visit as he got older. That never happened anymore after his… incident in Arendelle.

After his quick shower, the ex-prince dressed in peasant clothes, a plain white tunic and black pants. The shave was quick, with the little bit of stubble that he had grown over the week in the dungeon loped off. [Not that he was able to handle a blade; Arendelle servants did it for him.] Precisely forty-five minutes after the whole procedure had started, the guards had returned. He was taken to the 'round' table of the kingdom, which was actually a long rectangle. Hans was lead to a chair in the corner, with his two guards on either side.

Suddenly the council members started filing in. They all filled their respective seats, though still standing. Only two seats remained empty; the one at the head of the table and the chair to the immediate right. The question of who would fill them was answered when a stout, bald man came into the room.

"Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" Kai bellowed, waving his hand out to the side to introduce the queen. Elsa walked in the room, carrying herself with the same kind of grace she had at her coronation. The queen sat in the head seat with Kai at her right.

Her violet dress fanned out around her as she sat. "Greetings!" Queen Elsa greeted her people kindly, wanting to welcome them all.

"Hello, Queen Elsa!" They all replied, speaking cheerfully to their queen. A couple members glanced at the prisoner in the corner, but nothing was said.

After a brief pause, the queen pressed on. "In this meeting, we have some very… _pressing _matters to discuss." Elsa cleared her throat. "As you know, the former prince Hans has arrived here-and was taken into custody. As of now, his sentence remains unclear. I have… _invited_ him to speak here today, so that we may have a better judge for our sentencing." The blonde paused. "Hans," She inclined her head which he took as his cue to speak.

"Queen Elsa," He bowed as best he could. "I have come to Arendelle to apologize for my actions. I have destroyed your kingdom, harmed your sister mentally, and, "He gulped. "Attempted to kill you. I know I have made debts I can never repay, but I must humbly ask for your apology." He bowed again, trying to add to the effects of the words.

"Why?" Elsa blurted out, unable to stop herself. It was the question she had been asking herself the most.

"Exc-Pardon me?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Why did you do everything you did? Everyone says you did it for power, but you never talked about that, you had always mentioned how you would never get the crown. Why do I think those aren't the same things?"

Several of the council members shifted in their seats. Some of them had been spreading the rumor of Hans doing what he had done for power, and this accusation made them uneasy.

"I was scared," And he was terrified now. His true feelings, which he had kept locked up for so long, were finally coming out. "You have to understand, I had been left alone in a strange kingdom, just have being told that the one person who had a _chance_ of stopping the winter couldn't. My fiancé," Noting the look on the queen's face, he amended, "My _ex_ fiancé was freezing to death. I had nothing else to do. My kiss wouldn't have healed Anna. I truly believed that Elsa had intentionally frozen her heart.

All I ever wanted was to make my parents proud." His voice was on the verge of cracking. "Having twelve older brothers doesn't make that easy, believe me. " Hans almost laughed, but for some reason wanted to cry. "I didn't know what to do; everything was happening so quickly-"His voice was bordering on hysterical. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I have ruined your life, and for that, I am so, so sorry." He cradled his head in his hands.

Some of the council members looked like they were on the verge of crying. But most looked tough as nails. Hans thought he detected a note of sympathy in the queen's voice as she dismissed him. " My council and I will discuss matters in private."

**So sorry for the delay, I had serious writer's block foreveeeeer.**


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